Maine threw a bullpen session on Wednesday, and that went fine. But things have gotten much worse since. The right-hander, who has been on the disabled list since June 7 with weakness in the shoulder, tried to play catch on Thursday. He only made about 10 throws.

“I tried throwing,” Maine said before the Mets’ 9-1 loss to the Yankees last nighty. “And I couldn’t.”

Maine had a cortisone shot on Thursday (his second one), saw team doctor David Altchek and has now had today’s scheduled start with Brooklyn canceled.

GM Omar Minaya said Maine will be shut down “for at least a week.”

Maine said he is confident the setback is minor.

“As far as I know, it’s a little bit of a pinched nerve,” he said. But he also said the area was inflamed.

“I’ve got nothing structurally wrong in my shoulder,” Maine said, and Minaya said the same. But Maine had surgery last Sept. 30 on his shoulder, and he hasn’t pitched for the Mets in three weeks and counting. In fact, Maine has made just 14 starts since July 28.

“It is frustrating,” Maine said. “I can’t go out there with pain.”

Maine was unsure when he could eventually return to the Mets.

“Probably after the All-Star break, I hope,” Maine said, but that’s a best-case scenario. He insisted he had no problems while rehabbing in Florida, and said that when he threw his bullpen session on Wednesday: “I didn’t have any pain in the bullpen. A little bit of achiness.”

But he admitted that “it hurt” during his game of catch a day later.

With Maine’s return now delayed, the Mets won’t have to make a decision on their rotation yet — which might either be a blessing in disguise or a sizeable problem. Tim Redding, who starts tonight, now is in no danger of being removed from the rotation imminently, and Fernando Nieve has even more time to be evaluated.